DAMAGEPLAN frontman Patrick Lachman has spoken exclusively
to Fuse "Uranium" host Juliya about the shooting incident
earlier this month in Columbus, Ohio that left five people dead, including
DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.
In a brief interview conducted on the day (Dec. 14) of the public memorial
service for Abbott in Arlington, Texas, Lachman said, "I want people
to understand that the reason that we're all here is because of Dimebag
— I mean, he brought us all together. But there were people that
sacrificed everything, including their own fucking lives, to try and
protect him, to try and protect us. Jeff Thompson — 'Mayhem,'
as everyone knows him. He was our personal security, but more importantly,
he was a good friend to all of us. And he even stated, 'I'd take a bullet
for you.' The way he said it, it rolled off his back, like, 'I'd take
a bullet for ya.' And he kept his word. He gave our fucking band everything
we ever wanted, including his fucking life to save ours. It's pretty
fucking amazing. He gave the ultimate sacrifice to take care of the
people that he loved. He's part of the family.

"So many
other heroic things happened that night.

"Our tour
manager, Chris Paluska, tried to stop the guy that created this nightmare,
took a bullet in the chest. Pretty fucking brave thing to do. I put
him on the fucking stretcher myself. That was the only thing that
I could do, you know.

Dec. 17,
2004 - The most accurate story
of the shooting as told by roadies at the venue from roadie.netDec. 15,
2004 - Photos Of DIMEBAG DARRELL's Final Resting Place Posted Online

FindAGrave.com has published several photos of DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA
guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's final resting place at
the Moore Funeral Home Cemetery in Arlington (Tarrant County), Texas.
Check them out: Photo#1,
Photo#2,
Photo#3.

According to
the Star-Telegram, a small procession of limousines left Abbott's
Dalworthington Gardens home on Tuesday (Dec. 14) at about 3 p.m. for
the funeral service.

After the funeral,
mourners said Abbott was buried in a KISS-themed casket, dubbed the
"Kiss Kasket" (photo).
In recent years, Abbott made recording appearances with one of his
influences, Ace Frehley, KISS' first lead guitarist.

Rocker Eddie
Van Halen and members of the band SLIPKNOT attended the funeral, where
ex-ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell performed two songs, one
acoustic and one folk, officials said.

Comedian Jim
Florentine was in the VIP section at the public memorial service last
night as DAMAGEPLAN drum technician John "Kat" Brooks walked
by. Brooks' right hand was still bandaged from the gunshot wound he
received during the rampage in Columbus last week, and he declined
to be interviewed.

"He just
made fans feel welcome," said Florentine, who was a friend and
fan. "Whoever was there, he would treat you the same ... really
rare in a guy of his status."

Vinnie Paul Abbott
took the stage and pulled a life-size cutout of his brother close
to him. Darrell Abbott gave his heart to everyone, his brother said.
"He went down doing something he loved; he loved playing guitar."

DAMAGEPLAN and PANTERA albums have seen a sharp sales increase in the
last week as a result of the shocking death of DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA
guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who was shot and killed
while performing onstage at a Columbus nightclub. The following is an
overview of the sales figures for the debut effort from DAMAGEPLAN as
well as some of the key PANTERA releases, as measured by Nielsen SoundScan:

The onstage killing
of former bandmate "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott has left ex-PANTERA
vocalist and north shore resident Phil Anselmo distraught and questioning
his own future.

In a transcript
of a videotaped statement released to the media Tuesday, Anselmo said:
"People want my reaction to what happened. This is about Dimebag
Darrell, purely Darrell. It's not about me or some . . . psycho that
happened to destroy the most beautiful person, one of my best friends
in the world."

Abbott, 38, was
shot and killed Dec. 8 while performing with the hard rock band DAMAGEPLAN
at a Columbus, Ohio, nightclub. Three other people, including DAMAGEPLAN's
chief of security, died after Nathan Gale, 25, opened fire with a
handgun. Gale was an ex-Marine and metal fan reportedly angered by
the band PANTERA's breakup. He was shot and killed by a police officer
responding to 911 calls.

Anselmo and Abbott
spent 15 years touring the world together in PANTERA.

PANTERA didn't
achieve widespread success until Anselmo, a New Orleans native, joined
about 1989. PANTERA sold more than 10 million albums, collected two
Grammy nominations and inspired legions of aspiring hard rock bands.
But by 2002, Anselmo, Darrell Abbott and his brother Vinnie Paul Abbott,
the band's drummer, had become estranged as Anselmo devoted more time
to other projects.

In 2003, they
confirmed that PANTERA had disbanded, as the two camps exchanged accusations
in the hard rock press. Anselmo was at home on the north shore last
week when Abbott was killed. As Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Stanley of KISS,
Brian May of QUEEN and other rock icons memorialized Abbott, a devastated
Anselmo made no public comment until Tuesday.

Anselmo's statement
says that "the heavy metal media destroyed PANTERA." He
laments that he "never got a chance to say goodbye (to Abbott)
in the right way and it kills me, and I'm so sorry."

Anselmo traveled
to Dallas for Abbott's funeral. But he ended up not attending "to
respect the (Abbott) family's wishes, and they do not want me there.
I believe I belong there, but I understand completely."

"I wish
his family the least grief they could ever have, and I know it's impossible.
Just bless his family, bless his friends. I love him like a brother
loves a brother. . . . I'm so sorry to his family and everyone else
who was senselessly killed in Columbus, Ohio."

His statement
hints at an uncertain professional future.

"This has
changed the entire world, and this is the last you'll be seeing of
me for a long time.

Dallas-Fort Worth's WFAA-TV has posted a video report from the public
memorial service Tuesday night (Dec. 14) for slain DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA
guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. Watch the two-minute video
at this
location (Windows Media).

According to
the Dallas Morning News, a couple of thousand people assembled Tuesday
night at the Arlington Convention Center to say farewell to Abbott,
who along with four others was shot to death during a Columbus, Ohio,
concert last week.

Music fans from
their teens to their 40s tailgated in the convention center parking
lot, blasting the aggressive music of their idol from their car stereos.
Later, they filed inside to mourn the 38-year-old Dalworthington Gardens
resident in a service expected to last until midnight.

"Let us
remember his happiness," Nick Bowcott, former guitarist with
the metal band GRIM REAPER, told the crowd. "He never lost sight
of where he came from. He started as a fan, and he was always a fan."

Band videos and
home movies were shown, and fans raised their drinks in salute and
chanted Mr. Abbott's nickname, a slang term for a $10 bag of marijuana.

The funeral Tuesday
for Mr. Abbott was closed to the public. However, DAMAGEPLAN's management
and record company scheduled the later service so fans could pay their
respects to the guitar hero.

Clad in concert
T-shirts and puffing on cigarettes, fans of slain heavy metal guitarist
"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott faced tight security Tuesday night
as they lined up to attend a public memorial service.

Security guards
screened grieving fans with metal detecting wands as they came to
pay tribute to Abbott, 38, former guitarist for the band PANTERA.
He was shot to death last week in Columbus, Ohio, while performing
with his new band, DAMAGEPLAN, at the Alrosa Villa nightclub.

Three others
were killed before police shot and killed 25-year-old gunman Nathan
Gale.

Messages such
as "RIP Dime" and "Honk, honk for Dimebag, Peace in
the after life" were scrawled on cars in the parking lot of the
Arlington Convention Center.

A high-pitched
guitar solo blared from 19-year-old Jennifer White's pickup. White,
a "PANTERA" button on her shirt, said Abbott was a legend.
"He's just as big as Jimi Hendrix but in a different way,"
she said.

Her friend Skyler
Smith, 18, added: "A legend died on Wednesday night. I guarantee
I'll be telling my kids about this day and the day that he died. ...My
heart was broken."

Fans braving
near-freezing temperatures cheered the arrival of flower arrangements
in the shape of guitars and a display with the words "Crown the
Moment, Crown Royal," a reference to Abbott's favorite brand
of whiskey.

Michael Schaefer,
21, of Garland, and his wife, Raedene, 20, both wore black PANTERA
concert shirts."It's still a real shock, the fact that it actually
happened and the fact that someone would want to hurt him," Michael
Schaefer said.

"It's terrible,
man. He was the nicest fella you would ever want to meet," said
Rick Cunningham, 48, of Euless. Cunningham was one of the few of the
thousands waiting in line who wore a suit and tie to the service.
Cunningham, a former lead singer for a Dallas band called RAGE, said
he'd known Abbott for 20 years.

Abbott had formed DAMAGEPLAN with his brother and drummer Vinnie Paul
Abbott after they left PANTERA. Abbott attended Arlington High School
and lived in nearby Dalworthington Gardens.

The memorial service was put together by Vinnie Paul Abbott along
with Paul Bassman Management Company, Pinnacle Entertainment and AEG
Live, South, said Paula McElheney, who is with AEG, a promoter.

BLABBERMOUTH.NET has confirmed that former PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo
did NOT attend the the funeral of DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag"
Darrell Abbott — apparently because he was told that he was "not
welcome" at any of the events honoring the late musician who was
slain last week at a nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. Anselmo's former PANTERA/DOWN
bandmate Rex Brown (bass) DID attend, as did a number of other high-profile
musicians, such as Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY),
Eddie Van Halen, Jerry Cantrell (ALICE IN CHAINS), Mike Inez (ALICE
IN CHAINS, OZZY OSBOURNE), Jim Root (SLIPKNOT), Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT),
Paul Gray (SLIPKNOT), and Dino Cazares (ex-FEAR FACTORY).

Cantrell, Inez
and DAMAGEPLAN singer Patrick Lachman reportedly performed acoustic
versions of two ALICE IN CHAINS songs ("Brother" and "Got
Me Wrong") at the funeral, while Eddie Van Halen gave a speech
that included an impromptu playback of a phone message he had received
from Abbott at some point before his death.

Susan Schrock of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
is reporting that the family of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott,
former guitarist for heavy metal band PANTERA, has requested that his
funeral arrangements remain private, according to officials at Moore
Funeral Home in Arlington.

Abbott, 38, and
three other people were fatally shot at a club in Columbus, Ohio,
last Wednesday by Nathan Gale, 25, who was killed by police. Abbott
was performing with DAMAGEPLAN, the metal band he formed with his
brother, Vinnie Paul Abbott, after leaving PANTERA.

Abbott attended
Arlington High School and lived in a two-story brick home in Dalworthington
Gardens, where fans have gathered throughout the week to leave tributes
to the Grammy-nominated musician.

Dec. 10, 2004 - DAMAGEPLAN Issue Statements on DIMEBAG
DARRELL, JEFF 'MAYHEM' THOMPSON
As has been widely reported in the media, Elektra/Atlantic recording
group DAMAGEPLAN suffered a horrible tragedy at their show in Columbus,
Ohio on Wednesday night. Guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed,
as was the band's head of security, Jeffrey "Mayhem" Thompson,
an employee of the club, Erin Halk, and a member of the audience, Nathan
Bray. Chris Paluska, a member of the band's management team who was
serving as tour manager, was shot and is in critical but stable condition.
John "Kat" Brooks, the band's drum tech, was also shot and
is being released from the hospital today.

DAMAGEPLAN drummer
Vinnie Paul issued the following statement:

"With
all his greatness and accomplishments on the guitar, Dime will be
missed more for his giving personality, charisma, caring for others,
love and most of all his HEART!! Twice as big as the state of TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dime gave it all every day to each and every one of us and our lives
have forever been hollowed without him...Thanks to all of you for
reaching out to us in this time of our immeasurable loss. REST IN
PEACE BROTHER DIME!!!!!!"

The surviving
members of DAMAGEPLAN issued the following joint statement:

"Jeffrey
'Mayhem' Thompson was not just a true part of the DAMAGEPLAN family,
but part of the whole Dallas music scene. He was friend to all, with
a great personality. He bent over backward to help us all with his
trademark phrases like 'What can I do for you sir?' and 'Coming up!'
He also stated his willingness to protect us, saying 'I'd take a bullet
for ya,' and unfortunately did in defense of our lives. He truly lived
and died for his friends and made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his
life to save ours. For this we will never forget. You will be missed
big man."

MTV has put together a four-and-a-half-minute career overview video
dedicated to DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell
Abbott, who was shot to death at a Columbus, Ohio nightclub Wednesday
night (Dec. 8). Watch the video here.
Meanwhile, Launch has set up a Dimebag Darrell tribute page at this
location.

More information has surfaced regarding this weekend's special edition
of MTV2's "Headbanger's Ball" hosted by MEGADETH mainman Dave
Mustaine. In addition to commentary by Mustaine and regular host Jamey
Jasta (HATEBREED), the program, which is scheduled to air this Saturday
at 10:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. PST, will feature some of Dimebag Darrell's
friends calling in, reactions from fans and bands, plus the latest news
on the Columbus tragedy and some DAMAGEPLAN and PANTERA videos.

John Futty, Evan Goodenow and Aaron Beck of The Columbus
Dispatch have issued the following report:

Shortly before
DAMAGEPLAN took the stage at the Alrosa Villa, a man approached
the band's bus behind the North Side nightclub. He wanted to know
if lead guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and his brother,
drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, were onboard.
Aaron Barns, the heavy-metal group's sound man, told him the brothers
had already gone in the club.
"The next time I see him, he's walking behind the bass player
and singer right over to Dime," Barns said yesterday.
As the band played its opening song Wednesday night, the man rushed
across the stage and grabbed Darrell Abbott, firing several shots
into his head from a Beretta 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.

The gunman,
identified yesterday as Nathan Gale, killed three other people
and wounded two before Columbus Police Officer James D. Niggemeyer
entered the rear of the club shortly after 10:20 p.m.
Carrying a Remington 870, a 12-gauge shotgun, the officer circled
a stack of amplifiers and saw Gale, who was at the back of the
stage holding a gun to a man's head.

From 20 feet
away, Niggemeyer killed Gale with a single shotgun blast.
His decision to enter the club without waiting for fellow police
officers to arrive saved lives, many said.
"All of the officers have been trained since the Columbine
incident that, if there's shooting going on, to go in and put
the pressure on the shooter," Niggemeyer's supervisor, Sgt.
Jeff Leesbug, said last night.

In addition
to the band's guitarist, those whom Gale killed were Nathan Bray,
a 23-year-old fan from Grove City; Erin A. Halk, a 29-year-old
Northwest Side man who worked security at the club; and Jeff "Mayhem"
Thompson, a 40-year-old crew member from Waxahachie, Texas.

Wounded in
the shooting were Chris Paluska, the band's tour manager, and
John Brooks, a drum technician. Both were in Riverside Methodist
Hospital last night, where Paluska was in serious condition and
Brooks was in good condition.
Many in the crowd of more than 400 heavymetal enthusiasts thought
Gale was a crew member, a part of the act or an exuberant fan.
"He didn't pull out the gun until he got to Dimebag,"
said Brian Kozicki, the club's lighting director, who watched
from the sound booth.

People who
had known the 25-year-old Gale in his hometown of Marysville described
him yesterday as an unstable man who once asserted that the Abbott
brothers' former band, PANTERA, had stolen his song lyrics.

Some witnesses
said Gale fired at Vinnie Paul Abbott but missed and then fired
at those who attempted to subdue him. "He probably wouldn't
have shot anyone else if other people hadn't tried to stop him,"
Barns said.

Mitch Carpenter,
an Alrosa security guard working in the parking lot, said he encountered
Gale before the concert and asked him to "park his car and
buy a ticket or leave." Gale parked behind the building near
the band's bus and was asked to move his car, which he did. The
next time Carpenter saw Gale, he was in the club. "He had
hopped the fence at the patio," Carpenter said. "He
was walking really fast toward the stage and I followed him. "I
thought he was going to get up there and stage dive or something
during the first song. I figured he was just a guy who didn't
have any money to buy a ticket so he got in the way he did. "I've
been going over it in my mind, but when he came in I didn't want
to tackle him. He was a big guy."

Alrosa owner Rick Cautela was tending bar when he heard the shots
during the band's opening song, "New Found Power". He
thought they were firecrackers. "I heard the music stop and
heard more pops. I figured the band had stopped and was going
to start again when they grabbed whoever had the firecrackers,"
he said of security workers. "I just kept waiting on customers."
But then audience members ran toward the exits.

The panic
and confusion can be heard in 10 calls made to 911 operators,
beginning at 10:18 p.m., seconds after the first shots were fired.
"I'm at the Alrosa Villa and there's a shooting. Someone
is shooting the band on the stage," said a female caller.
"They're still shooting. The person is still loose with the
gun."

Kozicki said
he took cover in the sound booth and dialed 911 as soon as Darrell
Abbott slumped to the floor. He remained on the line with an operator
for five minutes, offering details about the chaos and the gunman's
actions.

A little
more than three minutes after his call to 911 began, he told the
operator that police had killed the gunman. Kozicki, a student
at Bowling Green State University, called the officer's action
"100 percent in the right." "If he hadn't done
it, more people probably would have been killed," he said
yesterday.

Niggemeyer
had just begun his shift at the 18 th precinct, at Karl and Morse
roads — about 2 miles from Alrosa — when the report
of a shooting came in. When he arrived at the club about two minutes
later, security workers pointed him to the back door.

At least
five other officers came through another door of the club seconds
after Niggemeyer fired. Ultimately, about 60 detectives were at
the club, many working overtime. They interviewed about 250 witnesses,
putting them on three buses provided by COTA.

This is the
first time the 31-year-old Niggemeyer, who joined the force in
1999, has shot a suspect. He has a clean record, with many compliments
from citizens, said Sgt. Brent Mull, a police spokesman. The division
would not release his personnel file yesterday.

Band members
spent Wednesday night on their bus then went back to Texas, where
they're based.
"Vinnie crashed in Dime's bunk and was crying," Barns
said.

Fans of the
band created two memorials in front of the club yesterday. Flowers
and a bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale were among the items on a large
rock beside the club's driveway. A wooden cross with the phrase
In memory of the lives lost: RIP December 8th written on it was
leaning against a pole. David Moran, a 29-year-old fan from German
Village, was among those who placed bouquets of flowers on the
rock. He wrote "RIP Dimebag" on the wrapper.

"He
was one of the best guitar players out there," Moran said.
"The music world lost one of its greats."

Columbus, Ohio's NBC4 has posted a video report on the
candlelight vigil that took place Thursday outside a nightclub where
DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA guitarist Dimebag Darrell was killed late
Wednesday night. Also included is a separate report on Dimebag's
alleged murderer, Nathan Gale, featuring interviews with people
that knew him. Watch the video at this
location.

Dec.
10, 2004 - DIMEBAG's Killer Tried To Pass Off PANTERA Lyrics As
His Own

Columbus, Ohio's WBNS-10TV has posted a video report examining
possible motives for the fatal shootings at the Alrosa Villa club,
which resulted the death of DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA guitarist Dimebag
Darrell. Watch the video here.

Dimebag's
alleged killer, Nathan Gale (Photo#1,
Photo#2),
25, of Marysville, had a minor police record in Marysville, including
driving with a suspended license last month, said Police Chief
Floyd Golden. He was pulled over for driving with a suspended
license last month.

Friends of
Gale's describe him as a loner. They say over the past few years
his personality changed, and they add that they distanced themselves
from him. They say he loved music, and was almost obsessed with
the band PANTERA. Two members of PANTERA formed DAMAGEPLAN.

Former friend
Jeremy Brey says, "We started noticing things. We were having
band practice and he came over to sing a couple songs. There were
a few he wrote that had PANTERA lyrics and we said you can't do
this, these aren't your songs." Gale was a Marine, but friends
say he did not show extra interest in guns or violence.

MTV News is reporting that a small memorial started by
a handful of fans blossomed into an outpouring of grief and celebration
Thursday, less than 24 hours after the shocking slayings at the
Alrosa Villa club where PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag"
Darrell Abbott and three others were killed.

Despite the
rain and cold temperature, hundreds of fans gathered outside the
weathered metal club to pay homage to their hero. They erected
makeshift crosses, laid yellow roses in honor of Abbott's Texas
roots and burned candles in his honor, but mostly they shared
stories, asked each other why anyone would do such a thing and,
perhaps most importantly, they blasted PANTERA's cathartic tunes
and shouted their lungs out.

Early in
the day, during a steady downpour, fans trickled by and propped
tributes to Abbott on a large rock at the entrance to the club's
parking lot. A six-pack of Heineken shared space with a rain-spattered
copy of PANTERA's "Far Beyond Driven" CD, a handful
of guitar picks and large Budweiser can that bore the taped-on
message "From Joshua Ramey, Diamond Daryl Boggs and Danny
'Party Boy' Jenkins — Never stop rocking and kicking f---ing
ass. RIP, brother." In the distance, the venue's marquee
still showed DAMAGEPLAN's name. Read
more.

Columbus Police Sergeant Brent Bull spoke to the media
Thursday morning about the latest details in the fatal nightclub
shooting that resulted in the death of DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA guitarist
Dimebag Darrell. Watch video footage of the press conference from
WBNS-10TV.

A 20-year-old student who works at the Columbus club where
DAMAGEPLAN guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot dead Wednesday night
told Toledo, OH's WTOL-TV that he saw the whole thing unfold.

Brian Kozicki,
who was doing lighting for DAMAGEPLAN's show, told WTOL-TV he
dove under his console and called 911 after the alleged gunman,
Nathan Gale, started shooting. "I just told them where I
was. There was a gunman firing shots and somebody had been shot
and there were more shots being fired as I was talking to them
on the phone," Kozicki said. "If the cop wouldn't have
gotten there when he did that guy definitely had more ammo,"
Kozicki told WTOL-TV. "I think he definitely would have killed
more people."

In the end,
Kozicki lost a friend of his Erin Halk who also worked at the
club. "It's crazy. He was a great guy, great guy. It's a
horrible, horrible thing," said Kozicki. Add to that, Kozicki
told WTOL-TV Dimebag's brother Vinnie Paul Abbott was on stage
when Dimebag was shot. When it was over, Kozicki had his arm around
Vinnie Paul who was in tears. "I let him borrow my cell phone
so he could call his dad and tell him what happened," said
Kozicki. "I didn't know what to say to him. I just told him
to pray."

Columbus, Ohio's NBC4 TV has posted a brand-new video report on
the ongoing investigation into the shooting incident at a Columbus
nightclub which resulted in the death of DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA guitarist
Dimebag Darrell. Watch it at this
location. Also available
is a slideshow
containing images of makeshift memorials at the club, Alrosa Villa,
where the incident took place. Meanwhile, Clear Channel has uploaded
a 67-second audio file featuring some of the 911 emergency calls
that were placed as the tragic events of Dec. 8 were unfolding.
Download the 550KB file in Windows Media format at this
location.

12/09/04-
OZZY OSBOURNE: 'I'm Absolutely Beside Myself With Grief' -

Ozzy Osbourne has issued the following statement regarding the death
of DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA guitarist Dimebag Darrell:

"Dimebag
was a dear friend of mine. I'm absolutely beside myself with grief.
I can't for the life of me understand why someone would do this.
PANTERA toured with me many, many times. I'll always remember
the signed guitar that he gave me at my 50th birthday party. My
heart goes out to Dime's family, his fans and the other innocent
victims who were killed in this senseless tragedy. It's just terribly,
terribly sad."

12/09/04
Reports are coming in from Columbus, Ohio, where an alleged shooting
occurred at Alrossa Villa, the nightclub where Damageplan was performing
tonight. The earliest reports indicate that Dimebag Darrell and
one other band member were among those killed.

COLUMBUS,
Ohio -- At least five people died and two others were wounded
after a shooting at a Columbus nightclub on Wednesday night, NBC
4 reported.The shooting took place shortly after 10 p.m. at Alrosa
Villa, located at 5055 Sinclair Road.Two members of the heavy
metal band Damageplan were reportedly shot and killed, including
Dimebag Darrell, formerly with the band Pantera, NBC 4's David
Wayne reported. The other band member's name was not released.
The alleged gunman also died at the scene, Wayne reported.Columbus
police Sgt. Brent Mall said the alleged gunman appeared to be
targeting the band members. After shooting at the stage, the gunman
opened fire on the crowd. At that point, an officer shot man dead,
Mall added. Police said there could have been many more fatalities
had the officer not killed the gunman.Shortly after the band began
playing its first song, a man reportedly ran onto the stage and
began shooting, according to a witness who identified himself
as Sean. Some members of the audience reportedly thought the man
running onto the stage with a gun was part of the band's act,
NBC 4's Erin Tate reported.Witnesses said that several shots were
fired at the band. Witnesses said that a bouncer at the club tackled
the alleged gunman before that person was shot and killed.NBC
4 reported that of the surviving victims, one person was in critical
condition while the other was in fair condition. Several others
were treated at the scene, suffering from various injuries.Alrosa
Villa is a popular north Columbus nightspot for young adults,
featuring rock and heavy metal bands, NBC 4 reported.According
to the band's Web site, Damageplan was touring nationally. It
performed in Buffalo, N.Y., on Tuesday night and had a concert
scheduled in Flint, Mich., on Thursday.Damageplan featured former
Pantera artists Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. The pair were
joined by vocalist Patrick Lachman and bassist Bobzilla, according
to their Web site.

CNN.com has also posted the following article which includes
eyewitness accounts:

COLUMBUS,
Ohio (CNN) -- A gunman opened fire Wednesday night during a heavy
metal concert in Columbus, killing four people -- including at
least one member of the band -- and critically wounding at least
two others before a police officer shot and killed him, according
to Columbus police.The attacker leapt onstage as the group, Damageplan,
performed, and began "targeting members in the band,"
Sgt. Brent Mull said.Two others were injured in the incident,
although the nature of their injuries was not clear.According
to eyewitness accounts, the gunman initially shot and killed the
band's guitarist, Dimebag Darrell. Darrell, 38, and his brother,
Vinnie Paul, 40, are former members of Pantera -- a group they
formed in the 1980s. Their father is Jerry Abbott, a country and
western songwriter and producer.Police were notified of the shooting
at the Alrosa Villa nightclub on the city's north end around 10:18
p.m. ET, Mull said. A uniformed police officer who was in the
area slipped into the venue from a back entrance, confronted the
gunman during the rampage and killed him."If not for the
officer who showed up, there would have been more dead,"
Mull said.Police have roped off a huge area of the nightclub's
parking lot, as 60 detectives question hundreds of witnesses.
Police have brought in buses to keep the witnesses warm as they
wait to be questioned.Calvin Bota said he saw the shooting from
the mosh pit right in front of the stage, shortly after the band
began playing."Somebody came -- I don't know where they came
from, out of the audience or whatnot -- but they come onto (the)
stage and ... he shot the guitarist at first, fired a couple of
other shots and then he hid behind the stage a little bit,"
Bota told WSYX."Everybody started scattering, you know, there's
mayhem everywhere. And then a police officer came into the building,
you know, came in professional with his gun raised and then he
proceeded to shoot the guy."Gerald Caudill told WSYX the
gunman shot the guitarist at least four times."I was up close
to the stage and I just saw some guy run up on the side of the
stage and I heard some shots and I saw (drummer) Vinnie Paul and
somebody jumped on top of Vinnie, and the guy just stayed around
the stage and started shooting other people," Caudill said."I
saw wounded people all over the place, out in the parking lot,
inside," he said. "It just didn't sound like gunshots
or anything, it didn't occur to me that something like that was
happening."

A
man opened fire in a crowded nightclub during a rock concert Wednesday
night, killing at least four people and wounding at least two
others before he was shot to death by police, authorities said.A
man walked on stage during the show at the Alrosa Villa and opened
fire on band members, killing four people and wounding at least
two others, said Columbus police spokesman Sgt. Brent Mull, adding
that more people could have been shot and left the scene before
authorities arrived.Mull said a police officer shot and killed
the gunman. It wasn't immediately clear whether the officer was
already at the show or had responded to an emergency call.Columbus
resident Chris Couch, 22, said the shooting occurred about 30
seconds after the show's headliner, DAMAGEPLAN, had begun playing.Couch,
who was standing about 30 feet away from the stage, noticed a
man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and hockey jersey walk up to the
stage, followed by a bouncer and another club employee.The man
in the jersey climbed onto the stage, started yelling and shot
the guitarist five or six times at close range, Couch said.Couch
said the gunman also shot a bouncer who pulled him off the musician.At
that point, Couch and a friend headed for the exit along with
a tide of hundreds of fans.It appeared the gunman purposely sought
out the guitarist, whom Couch identified as a performer who went
by the name "Dimebag Darrell."Authorities didn't immediately
provide the identities of the victims."It was definitely
a grudge. It was against something," Couch said.Amanda Stankus,
19, who attended the show with Couch, said she initially thought
the shooting was part of the show."I just saw the guitarist
fall down, and we decided to get out of there," said Stankus,
of Columbus.Stankus said she didn't see any metal detectors or
uniformed police officers at the venue and that she wasn't searched
or frisked on her way in.

Reports
of a shooting at Al Rosa Villa on Sinclair Road in North Columbus.Three
people are dead and at least seven are wounded.Three people in
critical condition were taken to Riverside Hospital.One person
was taken to Grant Hospital in stable condition, with a gunshot
wound to the thigh.A triage center has been set up behind the
restaurant to help victims with minor injuries still on the scene.